#gamechef2013 reviews: 1-4 w/ 1 French Game Chef

Hey folks, starting from the top and working my way down I'm bringing you a bunch of twitter like reviews of the Game Chef 2013 games. I do this because while they've improved their feedback system, it's still fun to hear something back about the games you write.  If someone wants a longer review of their game, please feel to drop me a line in the comments, or if you want to review something I've done let me know and I'll see about getting you a copy of said product to review!

That said, in the words of Tommy Toe Hold ... Let's do this shit.

Game Chef English 2013

1. The Elevator of Regretful Memories by Jesse Burneko

Twitter Pitch: An RPG about how the regrets of the past can infect the concerns of today. When bad memories turn to monsters we must do battle.

The Good: There's a lot of great little two player RPG interaction going on here. Kind of Wraith with a super focus of an individual with their Jungian shadow. Can really play up the tension.

The Bad: Die rolls seem incredibly stacked against the character. The game could be quick with a couple of bad rolls really early. It's fine if you're looking for a bleak outlook on being able to overcome your demons.

The Other: I like how the elements can become monsters. Part of me wishes that they would have become literal monsters and then they would need to be fought off in a kaiju-film fashion.

Would I play it? I think it would need to be a little clearer, and a little more rules streamlined for me to want to play it.

2. Afterlife, Incorporated by Nick Wedig

Twitter Pitch: You died. Then you got a boring job at Afterlife, Incorporated. You don't have to be a soul devouring demon to work here, but it helps!

The Good: I've jokingly said that I'm a bureaucratic humourist, so this kind of stuff is right up my alley. It's the Office and the IT crowd and every sort of show like that in a game format mixed in with some afterlife humour.

The Bad: It's got a lot of pre-setup. Printing cards, cutting them out, setting up decks. Maybe providing a "roll a d10" option. Not that people won't think of that on their own, but options are good.

The Other: The Suggestion of LARPing out a fight in one of the sections is gold. Makes me want to run this as a LARP because of the humour in the game. Also, it kind of does that Penny For My Thoughts mechanic going

Would I play it? Yes, and may I suggest the lower level of hell rather than purgatory. It's only slightly painful, and things actually happen. Limbo gets boring very quickly.

3. Gaze of the Golem by Aryel

As a heads up, people might want to read this piece by Lillian Cohen-Moore on Golems. I know that after I read it, I felt annoyed that I wasn't able to change the use of the term Golem in Critical!: Go Westerly into something else, but it's allowed me to modify it in other fiction that I write.

I know that we've gotten lazy with the use of them in fantasy because of D&D but ... sometimes all it takes is a moment to realize that you've been affected by D&D in your fiction to realize that you should change it. That said, carry on.

Twitter Pitch: A board game about a deeply philosophical issue: Why didn't you turn off the Golem's siwtch atop the tower before venturing down, you idiot?

The Good: More comedy, which is always a good thing and it's nice to see things other than RPGs in a Game Chef competition.

The Bad: "Rescue the Princess" as part of the theme? It seems a little complicated, and having the cards already setup would have helped.

The Other: I like the fact that there's this giant monster outside the tower that's freezing and eating characters. It's like Rampage the boardgame.

Would I play it? Um ... not really. Partially because there isn't much there that makes me want to play it, and there's a little too much extra work for me to do to play it.

4. Signal Lost by Martin Ralya

Twitter Pitch: Signal Lost is a story game about exploring the Distant Star, a deep-space survey vessel that has gone dark, and facing an alien terror.

The Good: This looks like a solid horror game heavily influenced by things like Fiasco and Durance, and Lady Blackbird in mechanic without actually being any of those games which is great. Takes decisions from the beginning and uses them to impact the end.

The Bad: I wish it was a little bit more like Lady Blackbird which would give you more structured characters. You play that character and get some variations in them rather than the round robin.

The Other: That said, I love the Durance like action for the ship and the alien. Keep that, it works great.

Would I play it? We're moving in captain, time to see what's left of the I.S.S Distant Star.

French Game Chef 2013

1. L'Ascension par Yragaël Malbos [The Ascension by Yragaël Malbos]

Twitter Pitch: Une poignée d'élus est en compétition pour atteindre l'Ascension. Seul l'un d'entre eux pourra y accéder. [A handful of chosen are competing for the Ascension. Only one may succeed.]

Ingrédients: 
La pomme et le ver = la vermine qui ronge de l'intérieur. [The vermin that eats you up inside]
Le chemise = l'uniforme omniprésent [Omnipresent uniformity]
La tête avec un flocon de neige = la démence d'un dirigeant [The insanity of the managers]
La lanterne = une lueur dans la pénombre [A light in the darkness]

Le Bon [The Good]: Bravo! Une page seulement, et un jeux assez interessant aussi! J'aime l'animosity entre les élus et les difficultés que ça va créer pour les aspirant pendant leur tour. [Bravo! An interesting game in onep age! I love the animosity that the game creates between the characters during their turn.]

Le Mauvais [The Bad]: Je ne voix pas beaucoup d'action avec la nature et le decor de l'Ascension. Ca donne de la colour pour les joueurs, mais ça va arriver quand même sans ces descriptions. Aussi, la difficulté ou le jouer perdre un object ... il n'y a pas beaucoup d'action avec ce menace, non? [I don't see a lot of reason for the nature and the items of the Ascention. It gives colour to the players, but that will come out in the game. Also, when you lose an object as a difficulty, it doesn't really mean all that much.]

L'Autre [The Other]: J'aime vraiment l'interaction entre les jouers avec des bonnes choix entre aider ou nuire le jouer en prime. [I love the interaction between the player. It's a good choice between helping and hurting the main player.]

Jouons [Would I play it]? Je suis l'élu qui va m'élever! [I will be the one to rise!]

Gamechef 2013: Firment

Finished my game, and for some reason the game chef site never lets me post it to their submissions site. I had this same problem in 2011, which is kind of amusing for some reason. At any rate, here's a link to the game.

http://blog.firestorm-ink.com/gamechef/Firment.pdf

I'll be updating it because there are some weird things that are going on with the accessibility part. It doesn't read the first line of any paragraph and I really want to figure out why that is.

Also, let me know what you think! The rules are kind of short, if I were turning this into a larger RPG I'd probably describe Firment more and give rules for building your own city. However, thoughts are awesome and appreciated.

Call to Adventure - Critical!: Go Westerly Adventures

Okay, I've been neglecting putting out some stuff for Critical!: Go Westerly because part of me is always looking to do something new, and the other part of me is working on writing books for the stuff.

That said, I'm looking for 3 adventures that are going to be going out in the next year or so but I need other people to write them for me. This is a paying gig (it's 30$ per adventure), and if you want an idea on how the format is being done you can check out You All Meet in a Tavern for the format. They really should be no more than 10-12 "Chapters" long which puts them between 4 - 6k in their word count.

If you'd like to pitch, I'm looking for a twitter length pitch for your adventure and a little paragraph as to why your idea is funny.

EDIT: Where to send them?

Send all submissions to jonathan at firestorm-ink dot com.

EDIT the Second: Where are the rules?

You don't have the game? Well, it's 5$ for the pdf version which comes with the world setting, or if you just want to check out the rules then they are under CC and available for free here.

Previously Generated - NHL RPG - Kiss of the Ice Duck

There was a conversation on Twitter between RPG Writer, Editor and Generally all around Awesome Guy Clark Valentine, and amazing, talented, author Jocelyn Koehler about hockey. Well, it was kind of tangentially related to hockey. He had mentioned Leaf-Bruins and she said it sounded like a D&D creature.

Of course, knowing of my love of thing geeky and hockey colliding so I'm going to bring you some things you'll find in the NHL RPG: Kiss of the Ice Duck (title suggested by Jocelyn Koehler). I'm going to use Dungeon World for stats, mainly because that's the latest Fantasy Game I've played, and one that more people do play. If someone wants to do it for another fantasy game, please feel free and we'll post and or link it here.

Leaf Bruin

Group, Large, Animal, Aggressive
Armor 2 (Front)
Armor 3 (Rear)
D8 Damage
12 HP

The Leaf Bruin is a large bear creature with blue and black fur that is prone to violent outbursts when provoked, usually by poking at it with sharp objects. It tends to be overly aggressive at times, which has caused it to charge over things necessarily, but thankfully it has even greater armor on it's back end which prevents all kinds of damage.  They tend to fight in groups, but do better when they're outnumbered or when there is an equal number on both sides. As soon as there is any sort of advantage, the Leaf Bruin starts to get too fancy and is easily defeated.

They are found in the Eastern Lands, and are a rarer combination. The Leaf Bruin hasn't been seen by most people for almost a decade. Not enough to have people forget them, but long enough that people were used to not seeing them around.

Instinct: 

• To control their territory
• To run over enemies

Moves:

• I will run you down

Blues Kings

Solitary, Medium, Intelligent, Magical
Armor 5
D6 Damage
10 HP

The Blues Kings are a ruling class of musicians that run the city of Missornia in the West, a place filled with intrigue, magic and mystery. Each Blues King has their own style, and their own plots in the city though they are frequently not seen without their massive armor that they wear to prevent them from the many assassination plots that occur. Despite their individual agendas, they do have a leader named The Backes who has a particular vendetta against the Frigid North. He frequently leads his forces against them, and is willing to take on anyone who has any ties to them including other Blues Kings.

Instinct (Which Blues King has that Instinct):

• To be the one true Blues King (All)
• To punch all the foes of the north (The Backes)
• To destroy The Dry Island (Richards Carter)
• To reclaim the clone Doty (Doughty)

Moves:

• There is magic in the music
• The one true authority

Red Wing Duck

Horde, Small, Magical
D6 Damage
6 HP

The Blues Kings have their own flying force, made up of a magical mash of a wide variety of creatures until the Red Wing Duck was born. They fly in large numbers, and dive to attack their foes using their super heated wings to sear people, and burn down structures. They have pin point accuracy, and when a group of them attack it can be over in a wingbeat before they go off to their next target as demanded by the Blues King.

They're a big reason why Missournia hasn't been attached in recent memory. The Red Wing Ducks destroy any siege engines that get remotely close to the city. Any that manage to get past the Red Wing Ducks end up crushed against the Kron Wall.

Instincts:

• To burn the target
• To obey the Blues King

Moves:

• Searing wing beats

Penguin Islanders

Horde, Medium, Intelligent
D6 Damage
6 HP

To the east, there is a small group of islands that are home to a group of enterprising penguins. While sometimes they've been dropped by their neighbouring flyers, these free flying animals have been known to come off the island and defend the East from any threats from the West. The Penguin Islanders are larger, flightless birds who have grown opposable thumbs, and stand around six feet in height. They are excellent swimmers, and are recognized as premier divers among the Eastern Lands. They are incredible fisher folk who have rising to prominence because of the shrewd manoeuvring of their leader The Shero.

The Shero has been successful because he's been able to get people, and transform them into effective and efficient Penguins. Every year he manages to take outsiders and integrate them successfully into his forces. Recently he took an Oil Flame and integrated him into one of the best teams he has. If there is one flaw of the Penguin Islanders is that they have a weakness for flowers. If there are too many flowers, then the Penguin Islanders get distracted they tend to miss a lot of events.

Instincts:

• To dive in the water

Moves:

• Well co-ordinated attack

 

Monster: The Noun - Vampires

This was I think the first thing I wrote for Monster: The Noun. I enjoyed it enough that I felt like I should try to make a bigger project out of this, and part of why I'm glad that I didn't. If I'm going to do something funny, I would rather do something like Critical!: Go Westerly than something like Monster: The Noun. Anyway, here's the Vampire section.

*~*~*

The darkness that shines upon the eternal soul of everyone also draws that soul towards the dark and occult paths.  The small bit of blackness that exists in the brightest of hearts, from priests and ministers to the small child selling matchsticks for a quarter, all yearn towards the void of evil.  Be it something simple as taking candy from a baby or as far down the trail of monstrosity as taking candy from many babies, nothing matches the awe inspiring terror mixed with an unhealthy dose of dankness and a side order of depression as the Vampire.  After all, no other creature is forced to live as they do, drawing blood from any living thing.  Hanging out after dark, never truly enjoying physical pleasures and therefore try to make up for it by indulging in large quantity of sins of the flesh, drinking, partying, smoking, bitching and whining until the dark monster within rises up and takes a hold of you.  That is the lot of the vampire, eternally asking where the party is but never finally getting to it.

Through history, the Nosferatu have been feared for their fiendish ways and frightening eating habits.  They play on our darkest fears in our history, like Vlad the Impaler who impaled many people he didn’t like -on pikes no less.  They crop up in our literature, the dark and sinister Dracula who would seduce and woo.  Culminating in more recent incarnations of the Vampire that has made such devious appearances on children’s cereal boxes, showing that there are no depths that the Vampire will not go in its quest to satiate itself.

Vampires blend well into current society, there are cities that never sleep after all, and such Beasts only sleep during the decent hours of daylight.  However, there are tell tale signs that tend to give these monsters away. First they tend to dress in dark clothes, usually involving trench-coats, black t-shirts and black leather pants.  There are alternatives to this standard of dress, usually involving corsets, red lipstick and cloaks but all the variations focus on dark colours mixed with either white or red with a focus on being as dark and mysterious as they can be.

Everyday people attempt to resist the urge to fall to the dark side of un-life, but not everyone is as resilient to this call as most are.  They fall into some easily definably categories, not all fit these types but you will find that most do.

1.         The Arrogant Prick:  He knows that he’s far superior to the rest of the world.  He thinks he’s stronger, smarter, faster, braver, sexier, cooler than the rest of us could ever hope to be.  He likes to lord it over all those who he considers inferior, there can be no sweeter reward for The Arrogant Prick then the lord it over other for ETERNITY. 

2.         Lesbians:  Scientists are uncertain as to what comes first, are lesbians drawn to vampirism or does the kiss of fangs create lesbians.  The fact is that is really doesn’t matter since we can verify through anecdotal evidence that there seems to be a predominantly large amount of them running around.

3.         Lonely Geeks:  Often drawn by the allure of power, and lesbians, the Lonely Geeks embrace their un-life with open arms.  However, it always ends up being less than they dreamed.  Realizing that the lesbians have no interest in them, and the Arrogant Pricks get to lord it over them for eternity, these lowest of the low, most pathetic of the dark are stuck in a void of hopelessness that does nothing but feed their dark hearts.

While other creatures of darkness might congregate well with others, Vampires tend to spend time with their own kind and bemoan any time spent with happier creatures.  With darkness approaching the Vampire finds that the hunger and the thirst drag upon his soul and blot out his or her mind so that there is only one thing to do.  That one thing is to approach a local bar to imbibe what they can under the cover of darkness.

Vampire Power:

Ennui: Vampires have the uncanny ability to be so mopey and annoying that people will do anything to make them go away.  This goes as far as pretending to believe that they think they can’t see you, as long as you go away.  When failing your ennui to do something vampirish the more people will pretend that you did exactly what you did just to get your pale face as far away from them as possible.  You’re whiney, and annoying and really so filled with the dark that others just get listless and depressed around you, doubly so when you actually start talking.  Use your ennui to inspire thoughts of depression, sadness and general antipathy around you and maybe you’ll actually be able to get a date that doesn’t involve roleplaying.

Previously Generated: Fiasco - Sudden Death

This is something that Clark and Amanda Valentine and I talked about last Origins, I think. It might have been the one before that.

At any rate, I finally got off my behind and "finished" (that term is used very loosely) Sudden Death, the Fiasco Playset where you play a hockey team about to come unglued in game seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

I like some of the rule modifications to make it fit a hockey game, and I enjoy the scoring mechanic so you can see how well or poorly you're doing as the game progresses. I'm sure there are better elements, and tonnes of mistakes, so if you have suggestions, ideas or anything just post them here. When I have enough of them I'll probably make the changes to the document and then we can get a better playset!

Download Sudden Death

Retro Game Day - Crazy 8s

Most people have probably played this game at one point or another.

My favourite part of this game, isn't really the playing of it anymore but more along the lines of negotiating the various versions that people have played. The extra rules that come up and throw you for a loop when you hear them the first time.

I think we can all agree these are the basic rules.

Step 1. Draw one card
Step 2. Play one card under these certain conditions
a. It is the same suit as the previous card played.
b. It is the same rank as the previous card played.
c. It is an 8, at which point in time you get to declare what suit is now eligible to played in as per 2.a

These are the basic special cards that I know.

2 - The next player draws 2 cards.

What are your special rules? What do you think makes the right rules for Crazy 8s?